Customer Reviews

Up on the Sun

5 star:		(23)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Listened to this'n driving from El Paso to Phoenix to see The Flaming Lips back in '89. Plays like an endless stretch of scrubby desert. My ex-wife began her ship into evil psychosis because I wouldn't take this tape out of the player. She hit me with a sandwich and tried to get out of the car. It's that good!

How many albums can you think of that you like EVERY song on ? For me, the Beatles' "Abbey Road " and "Murmur" by REM come to mind. After listening to "Up on the Sun" by the Meat Puppets for the past 6 months, it has just hit me that this is a perfect album; I love every song on it.

The songs are fast, simple, fun, and really catchy. This record sounds like it is was recorded live in the studio during a session where the band had a lot of fun; it sounds real, not fake. The music is not as deep as the music on the Meat Puppets' album which came before this one (Meat Puppets II) but that's OK, it's a different album (by the way, Meat Puppets II is great and nearly perfect). Most of the songs focus on electric guitar but there are also songs where the bass rules the guitar (Maiden's Milk, Hot Pink). I have never heard bass like this before; it's amazing.

For anyone who likes alternative music, this is a must have.

This record is certainly on par as one of the best albums of the eighties along w/ Zen Arcade, Double Nickels, also on SST. This is a psychedelic masterpiece...probably as good as Cream Disreali Gears was when it came out.

After Meat Puppets I, the indie fans expected another raspy punk rant and they got a psychedelic, country-rock excursion. When the fans were then expecting the same on their 3rd effort, this is what happened: Up on the Sun. A beautifully interwoven mix of undistorted guitars playing almost jazzy, occasionally complex, tweed-pop licks. Amazing bass lines, interplaying perfectly with the guitar. And lyrics that make you cock your head and wonder what these guys were smoking. (Up in my head there's an animal kingdom, I am the king of the animals there)

This is an album whose style, in the history of music, has never been duplicated or even attempted. Even those that don't care for it must admit to its originality. You may find it too weird or different for your liking, but that's the way Curt & co. like it. Weird. Original. Like nothing else you've ever heard. They never cared if it wasn't accessible to the public. Sorry if that upsets some people, but that's what they're about.

So for me, this is THE perfect example of why the Meat Puppets are the greatest band the world will never appreciate. Totally original, musically amazing, never compromising. Please expose yourself to their genius.

I've long loved the Meat Puppets, and was ecstatic to see them live, at a dinky little club in Madison, Wisconsin in 1988; it was my only time ever in a mosh pit, though, it being a Meat Puppets show, it was a more playful than aggro group of moshers. I had much fun that night.

Anyway, this, along with Meat Puppets II, is my favorite of their many recordings. Later records would generally contain anywhere from two or three to a half-dozen great tracks. But with Up on the Sun, they deliver the goods from start to finish. Granted, it's not as punky speedy as is II, but it need not be. Instead, what it is is a record of gentle, semi-acoustic tunes, with an emphasis on tunefulness. Check out a song like Swimming Ground, or Away, and try to keep from smiling; I don't think it can be done.

Overall, I'd describe this as gentle, blissful cowpunk, appropriate for driving across the Arizona desert after having consumed a few bites of hash brownies.

Up On The Sun is the Meat Puppets' third album and the followup to their now legendary Meat Puppets II which introduced the world to cowpunk, a mixture of country and punk music. While that album as well as several of their releases are easy to define (ex...Meat Puppets I is their punk album, Huevos, the power-trio album, Monsters, the heavy album), Up On The Sun is beyond categorization. It is also their most cohesive listen and ranks with Meat Puppets II and Too High To Die as their best work.

While their first two albums were furious and very ragged, the songs here are much tighter. Their brand of cowpunk is replaced by songs that are equally based on mood and melody and the results are stunning. Curt Kirkwood's vocals are very somber and this along with his moody guitar work truly carry the album. The excellent tracks "Away", "Buckethead", and "Swimming Ground" are both upbeat and catchy while "Animal Kingdom" has a strong new-wave vibe with Curt's unique guitar work providing the appropriate background. Songs like "Hot Pink" and the title track are very laid back and feature creative interplay between Curt and his bass-playing brother Cris. The tracks "Enchanted Pork Fist" and "Creator" offer glimpses of their punk sound but are much more structured than tunes like "New Gods" and "Split Myself In Two" from their previous release. The band continue to write great instrumentals as both "Maiden's Milk" and "Seal Whales" add to the album's low-key vibe. Other strong tracks include the haunting "Two Rivers" and "Too Real." As with all of their remastered releases, Rykodisc has added several bonus tracks. There are two additional versions of "Hot Pink", a looser version that's pretty decent, and a longer and weirder instrumental version that drags on for over 8 minutes. There's also a killer instrumental called "Embodiment of Evil" and "Mother American Marshmallow" which is essentially a strung out version of "Maiden's Milk." All told, this is a great and very original album which is at its best when listened to in its entirety. If you know the band for Too High To Die or Meat Puppets II, this album may catch you off guard. However, as their longtime fans know, the Meat Puppets change gears with each album, and Up On The Sun is one of their best. Highly recommended.

I bought this album about the same time as I bought 'Too High to Die' and at first I preferred 'Up on the Sun' because it was more true to the 'Pups previous records, with it's psychadelic guitar and passionate vocals, especially on the title track, as well as the tracks 'Swimming Ground' and 'Seal Whales'. I say 'at first' because I came to be more addicted to 'Too High to Die'...if you're used to cleaner sounding lyrics and riffs that are fairly easy-going, go for 'Too High to Die', if you love the 'Pups for their excellent alternative riffs, backed by some brilliantly vivid imagery (lyrically and musically) and want a truly original, alternative record -
(not that the others aren't, just that this one is more so than some of the later ones) -go for this one.

Regardless of what type of rock you like. If you like music that rocks, you NEED to get this album. It's one of the most incredible rock albums I've ever experienced. It's SO hard to believe the music on here is coming from just 3 people. Some people complain about Curt's low whiny voice on this one. This was slightly before Curt and Cris fully learned how to sing in that beautiful harmony with eachother that they've done on every album since, but it doesn't even make a difference on this album because the music is so incredible. Swimming Ground, Hot Pink, Two Rivers, Maiden's Milk, Up on the sun, Buckethead. I can't think of a bad song on this whole album. This album also has the best bonus tracks I've ever heard on any reissue, especially Mother American Marshmallow and the slow version of Up on the Sun. Anyway, I could go on about how great this album is forever. Do yourself a favor and get it now.

This album is fantastic, alot more polished than Meat Puppets II, but just as creative and mind blowing. I have to admit, it took time for it to grow on me, but only mainstream crap is catchy the first time you hear it.

Another fine album by the Meat Puppets out of the early '80s. After their fantastic MP II they released "Up On The Sun". I liked it then, and I still like it today.

Less raw than MP II and more produced, it has an almost REM "Murmur" feel to it. While MP II was hardcore meets country, "Up On The Sun" is firmly in the alternative camp.

SST released so many great albums in the early-mid 80's from Black Flag to the Minutemen and the Meat Puppets. While MP II remains my favorite album it only beats "Up On The Sun" by a hair.

Great album from a great era.